Jan 21, 2026
Subsidy & Other Financial Resources for Prospective Adoptive Families
Our office receives, on average, several calls each month questioning whether there are any financial resources available for children to be adopted in a variety of situations. Many people contact us after they have been told there are no resources available, and their gut (or homestudy agency, or friend, or relative, etc.) told them to get a second opinion. I am so grateful for these calls because it is imperative that families know what resources exist to help them proactively obtain all services that a child may need!
Some examples of common questions are addressed in our Subsidy Series. Today we will address the answer to the common question below:
My 2-year-old granddaughter’s mother passed away this year. My granddaughter has no medical diagnoses or special needs. I would like to adopt my granddaughter. Is there any chance there are any resources available to help me?
Barbara’s Answer: YES! Social Security Survivor’s Benefits may be available for your granddaughter. If your granddaughter’s mother worked during her lifetime and meets the qualifications, your granddaughter will be entitled to receive survivor’s benefits. These benefits survive the adoption, which means that even after you become the legal parent of the child, the Social Security Survivor’s Benefits will continue. However, these must be in place before the adoption, or the benefits will NOT be available. To learn more about survivor’s benefits, click here: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/survivors/.
More about Barbara: Barbara Ginn has been a practicing attorney in the State of Ohio since 2008 and has concentrated her practice almost exclusively on adoption since 2010. Barbara’s practice includes representation of birth parents, prospective adoptive parents, and private adoption agencies. Barbara’s vocational experience includes interstate (ICPC) adoption; contested adoption; re-finalization of international adoption (as well as registrations of foreign births); private agency adoption, independent adoption; family member adoption; and adult adoption.
